Today marks one month of gasp!city, the cool girl’s guide to to Toronto, my very own digital reels series in collaboration with Stay Here and Streets of Toronto.
What a whirlwind it’s been (in the best possible way).
Over the last month, I’ve poured my wee lil heart into creating this series (with the help of Ryan ofc!) — showing up every week, profiling my favourite places, getting back to my roots, and uploading consistently. (Honestly? I’m super proud of that part.)
I wanted to take a second to zoom out — to share what this series really means to me, how I got here, and what you can expect moving forward.
So first: What even is gasp!city?
gasp!city is the Cool Girl’s Guide to Toronto — a curated hit list of gasp-worthy vintage finds, stylish spaces, and intentionally designed experiences.
Around here, being a cool girl isn’t about fitting in — it’s about standing out.
It’s about following your curiosity, embracing your quirks, and living unapologetically out loud.
From hidden thrift shops and one-of-a-kind restaurants to handmade goods and local art, gasp!city is a love letter to the people, places, and treasures that make you stop, stare, and audibly gasp!
It’s about celebrating design, soul, and self-expression — spotlighting the artists, makers, and shopkeepers forging their own path and shaping the city with their unique point of view.
I’ve never really paused to think about where my deep love of thrifting and treasure hunting came from.
The patience to sift through dusty boxes in search of the one.
The thrill of the hunt.
The ritual of bringing something special home — knowing it’s one of one.
But something hit me recently.
I was wandering through Canada’s largest antique mall (episode dropping soon!) when a wave of nostalgia washed over me. Suddenly, I was five years old again — walking through a flea market hand in hand with my dad, past a deli counter and some leather goods (if we’re being specific). That’s when I saw her.
An almost life-sized doll.
The same one my neighbour Julie had that I was obsessed with.
She was a little rough around the edges, wearing a baggy outfit, messy hair, a bit dusty — but I knew, without question: she was the one.
Her name was Cricket.
Cricket was special because she could talk.
She had a cassette player built into her back. When you inserted a tape, she'd talk to you through the speaker in her belly — telling stories, singing songs, making you feel seen in a pre-digital era.
The one in the shop had a weird Wuzzles soundtrack playing from her when I pressed play.
Disappointing for sure but I didn’t care. I loved her.
Despite her being the one.. she stayed on the shelf — my parents told me they weren’t in a position to take her home so I left the flea market heavy hearted and empty handed.
Heart: shattered.
A few months later, I was playing hide and seek — just a few weeks before my sixth birthday — and while hiding in the crawlspace, I found her.
Cricket.
Tucked inside a plastic bag.
She had already been stashed away for two months, patiently waiting for the big day.
I felt it all at once — excitement, panic, guilt, joy.
I had ruined the surprise.
I’m a terrible liar, so when I crawled out, it was written all over my face.
I kept insisting, “I didn’t see anything!” — while clearly having seen everything.
My mom told me I had to wait until my birthday… for whatever it was I didn’t see. haha.
She needed to buy herself some time — because she had a full makeover planned.
Cricket got the works: a bubble bath, a hair revival, and a carefully curated wardrobe with some hand-sewn tiny dresses thrown in.
Turns out, my mom had been on a top-secret Cricket mission.
Since Cricket’s original tape was just The Wuzzles, she recorded over it — crafting over an hour of custom content in her own “Cricket voice,” just for me.
Including a full birthday song… addressing me by name.
SO SPECIAL.
I didn’t even realize it was her voice until I brought Cricket to show-and-tell and the teacher asked me if , “If it was my mom?” … Shattered haha.
Cricket was a doll, yes — but she was also a best friend.
And here's the wildest part...
This whole flea market/Cricket memory inspired my mom to dig through old storage totes upstairs — and she found her.
Cricket.
My Mom JUST SO HAPPENED to be visiting me for the weekend and she BROUGHT HER!
She also brought all of her clothes and we spent some time looking through each piece, sharing Cricket stories.
And the moment you’re all probably waiting for???
Cricket hadn’t spoken in almost 30 years.
We popped the tape in her back and… well, sadly it didn’t work. It played the tape back super slow and wonky… but…. my mom brought a tape player.
And out of the speaker came THE CUTEST most thoughtful, loving, absolutely adorable, high pitched “Cricket voice”, singing me Happy Birthday by name, telling me how much she loved me.
Listen here:
We listened to both sides of the tape through and through - firstly- giggling profusely at just how adorable and cute it was, and also when Cricket told me to save her batteries hahaha.. and then we marched around my apartment while we cleaned (a tradition when Mom comes to visit haha).. singing all of my favourite nursery rhymes out loud from my childhood. It was so sweet. What a beautiful moment to share. I was washed over with nostalgia, remembering the words to every song.
My inner child was not ready.
Circling back to the top of this story, that whole memory hit me like a wave recently and sent me into full detective mode — I texted my parents to ask: What antique mall was that? Why were we there?
Turns out… it was Guelph.
On Sundays….
Because my dad had a booth there(!!!) — selling hockey cards and pogs every weekend.
I was shook.
I remembered the boxes of cards. I remembered my brother and I having the coolest Slammers.
But I hadn’t realized my dad was out there building a little dream of his own — every weekend, surrounded by collectibles and chaos.
And that… is where it all began. No wonder I love being at the antique mall so much.
My favourite pastime — without a doubt — is vintage shopping.
Sauntering around. Digging. Taking my time.
It’s meditation. It’s therapy. It’s creative fuel.
Even when I’m not buying anything, just being surrounded by objects from another era is pure joy.
My camera roll is filled with random photos from antique malls, things I find weird or cool, little tidbits of inspiration.
I’ve had this connection to thrifting my whole life.
Fast forward again and the year is 2015.
I’m living in a basement apartment, painting my kitchen pink, and just heard Skrillex drop a Lion King remix at Echo Beach.
I’m reading Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vee.
I hang a black felt board in my kitchen (peak felt board era) and vow to change the quote weekly.
The first quote?
MAKE MOVES.
Fast forward:
I quit my corporate job.
Cut my hair.
Moved into a main floor Victorian apartment.
Started sourcing vintage to decorate my home on a budget.
Started finding amazing pieces I didn’t need but couldn’t walk away from.
Someone said, “Why didn’t you buy it?” I said, “I didn’t need it.”
They said: “Then sell it.”
So I did.
I needed the perfect name for my humble little shop (with a full branding suite ofc hahaha).. and as I unpacked in my new space, I found the felt board buried in a box.
I realized the quote I’d put up all those months ago had never been changed. There it was, staring back at me, as bold as ever...
MAKE MOVES.
the perfect name to capture the essence of my shop.
& my mascot? A thrifted 1970s ceramic leopard named Jackson, of course.
Picture me:
Pockets full of chandelier crystals.
Sketching headboard designs on sticky notes.
Making marketplace deals at dusk.
Schlepping oversized art home on the bus.
Thriving.
I launched my own vintage shop — Make Moves Vintage — curating one-of-a-kind pieces that told a story.
That shop was more than just a hustle.
It was a philosophy.
It taught me how to trust my eye, build community, and turn small things into magic.
It taught me that design is emotional. That style is personal. That objects have soul.
Eventually, that chapter wrapped — but the love never left.
Vintage has been at the heart of every design project I’ve ever touched since. (Here’s a few fav’s although there’s too many to choose!!)
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The sofa ended up in another flat and also underwent, the ROYAL treatment being recovered in head to toe absolutely DECADENT floral fabric also from House of Hackney (with a super cute velvet skirt). GAH.
I sourced all the vintage furniture for this project, here’s a few more pieces! (A lot of pieces came from Shoppe Clover actually- and the second episode of gasp!city is about their shop!)
This coffee table was the missing piece from this dining room! We had originally sourced a plain gold table from CB2 and this verde luana table top was the icing on top! There are no rules when it comes to sourcing!
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Honestly- there’s more but I could go on and on. The truth of the matter is, I love vintage…
And now, I’m back — full circle.
Only this time, I’m telling the story differently —spotlighting the places I’ve been frequenting for the past decade (and the new gems I’m just discovering).
From long-time haunts to fresh finds, I’m curating a city guide through my eyes — one that blends nostalgia with now.
I’ve been talking a lot lately about channelling make moves energy, and gasp!city is one piece of my homecoming.
While the series isn’t only about vintage, it plays a huge role. (I hope to also profile gasp!worthy experiences and places, restaurants, etc!) *You’ll also notice that I am for the first time ever also spreading my wings into vintage style—which seems fitting with my style evolution ;).
It’s about celebrating the places, spaces, and pieces that make you pause.
That give you that little jolt of joy.
The gasp.
So without further ado — here are the episodes I’ve launched so far!
Each one is a little love letter to a place, a moment, or a gasp-worthy find.
(And as I move forward, I hope to launch a whole Substack sub-series called Gasp City: Objects of Affection — where I dive even deeper into the shops, stories, and treasures I’ve been uncovering. But... one thing at a time, haha!)
EPSIODE 01: BAZAAR ARTS MARKET
306 College St, Toronto, ON M5T 1S3
EPISODE 02: SHOPPE CLOVER VINTAGE SHOP
2077 Davenport Rd, Toronto - By Appointment
EPISODE 03:TORONTO VINTAGE SHOW
Toronto Exhibition Place 100 Princes' Blvd, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3
EPISODE 04: GOOD FRIENDS POP UP MARKET
952 Queen St. W Toronto
EPISODE 05: OF THINGS PAST FURNITURE CONSIGNMENT SHOP
185 Bridgeland Ave, North York, Toronto
What are your fav. hidden gems in Toronto? Leave them below!
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